Victims’ advocate hopes ‘Dr. Phil’ educates on rape

Published: Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 11:34 p.m.

When it comes to sex, “No means no.” It sounds simple enough, but what if a person isn’t fully conscious?

Facts

Resources:

The Healing Place, HendersonvilleThe Healing Place is a rape crisis center that serves men, women, and children of all ages following rape, sexual assault, or child sexual abuse.www.thehealingplace.info/24-hour crisis line: 828-692-3931; other counties 800-656-4673

Henderson County Department of Social ServicesProvides Child Protective Services to help victims of physical and sexual abusewww.hendersoncountync.org828-697-5500

A two-part episode of the “Dr. Phil” show next week will broach the topic of consent — a determining factor in alleged cases of rape — while featuring the story of four young Henderson County men who told detectives the sex they had with a classmate was consensual. The classmate told investigators she was unconscious at the time.

Executive Director Angélica R. Wind of Our VOICE (Victims Outreach International Counseling and Education) in Asheville said Friday that the discussion about intoxication and sexual activity may be a good conversation to have.

“I commend Dr. Phil for wanting to take on the issue of consent. Consent is one of the things that can be tricky at times. If someone’s intoxicated and doesn’t say ‘no’ to having sex, does that mean they consented? Consent is not black and white,” she said.

“One of the biggest barriers that you see when it comes to addressing sex assault is the lack of conversation about it. There’s a silence around it. The community is not having enough conversations about it, so anytime that the community has the opportunity to have a discussion regarding sexual violence — what it looks like and what an appropriate response to it is — then that’s a good thing.”

Wind counsels others in her outreach that rape is not about sex, “it’s about power and control.”

“When someone is intoxicated, they don’t have the capacity to form consent,” she said.

Working with Our VOICE, Wind said, “we have seen an increase in reports (of) drug-facilitated sexual assaults.”

“Alcohol is the no. 1 drug that is used in drug-facilitated sexual assaults,” she added. “Perpetrators will continue to buy a person drinks or provide them with alcohol in an effort to impair their judgment or incapacitate the victim to make it easier for them to perpetrate a sexual assault.”

Seventeen-year-olds Tyler Scott Garren, Justin Wesley Ponder, Vincent Joseph Curto and Matt Bishop were charged with rape after a classmate told police that three of them had sex with her while she was unconscious on a couch after a party where alcohol was served. All four later told police that they had sex with the girl, but said the sex was consensual.

The "Dr. Phil" show will air two episodes about the incident at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday on CBS.

Wind hopes the “Dr. Phil” episodes will remind those who may have been a victim of sexual assault that they are not alone, and that help is out there.

“The ‘Dr. Phil’ show might have the capacity to maybe motivate other teens who have been impacted by sexual violence to come forward... Hopefully teens will recognize that they’re not alone and not to blame for the sex assault that was perpetrated against them,” she said. “There are local resources out there that can help with what they’re going through.”

Victims of sexual assault are encouraged to call the national hotline for RAINN — the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network — at 800-656-HOPE, to be connected to local services.

“When someone suspects that it has happened to them, if not a lot of time has passed, I would encourage them to go to the hospital to do the forensic examination commonly known as a rape kit,” Wind said. “Don’t take a shower. If it’s something that happened within the past day or two and you haven’t showered, the hospital’s ability to take evidence is much better.”

Survivors should also contact a local rape crisis center to talk to counselors and connect with the resources that exist to advocate for victims in their interactions with law enforcement and attorneys, she said.

<p>When it comes to sex, “No means no.” It sounds simple enough, but what if a person isn't fully conscious?</p><p>A two-part episode of the “Dr. Phil” show next week will broach the topic of consent — a determining factor in alleged cases of rape — while featuring the story of four young Henderson County men who told detectives the sex they had with a classmate was consensual. The classmate told investigators she was unconscious at the time.</p><p>Executive Director Angélica R. Wind of Our VOICE (Victims Outreach International Counseling and Education) in Asheville said Friday that the discussion about intoxication and sexual activity may be a good conversation to have.</p><p>“I commend Dr. Phil for wanting to take on the issue of consent. Consent is one of the things that can be tricky at times. If someone's intoxicated and doesn't say 'no' to having sex, does that mean they consented? Consent is not black and white,” she said.</p><p>“One of the biggest barriers that you see when it comes to addressing sex assault is the lack of conversation about it. There's a silence around it. The community is not having enough conversations about it, so anytime that the community has the opportunity to have a discussion regarding sexual violence — what it looks like and what an appropriate response to it is — then that's a good thing.”</p><p>Wind counsels others in her outreach that rape is not about sex, “it's about power and control.”</p><p>“When someone is intoxicated, they don't have the capacity to form consent,” she said.</p><p>Working with Our VOICE, Wind said, “we have seen an increase in reports (of) drug-facilitated sexual assaults.”</p><p>“Alcohol is the no. 1 drug that is used in drug-facilitated sexual assaults,” she added. “Perpetrators will continue to buy a person drinks or provide them with alcohol in an effort to impair their judgment or incapacitate the victim to make it easier for them to perpetrate a sexual assault.”</p><p>Seventeen-year-olds Tyler Scott Garren, Justin Wesley Ponder, Vincent Joseph Curto and Matt Bishop were charged with rape after a classmate told police that three of them had sex with her while she was unconscious on a couch after a party where alcohol was served. All four later told police that they had sex with the girl, but said the sex was consensual.</p><p>The "Dr. Phil" show will air two episodes about the incident at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday on CBS.</p><p>Wind hopes the “Dr. Phil” episodes will remind those who may have been a victim of sexual assault that they are not alone, and that help is out there.</p><p>“The 'Dr. Phil' show might have the capacity to maybe motivate other teens who have been impacted by sexual violence to come forward... Hopefully teens will recognize that they're not alone and not to blame for the sex assault that was perpetrated against them,” she said. “There are local resources out there that can help with what they're going through.”</p><p>Victims of sexual assault are encouraged to call the national hotline for RAINN — the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network — at 800-656-HOPE, to be connected to local services.</p><p>“When someone suspects that it has happened to them, if not a lot of time has passed, I would encourage them to go to the hospital to do the forensic examination commonly known as a rape kit,” Wind said. “Don't take a shower. If it's something that happened within the past day or two and you haven't showered, the hospital's ability to take evidence is much better.”</p><p>Survivors should also contact a local rape crisis center to talk to counselors and connect with the resources that exist to advocate for victims in their interactions with law enforcement and attorneys, she said.</p><p>Reach Tanker at nancy.tanker@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>